Face covering

ABSTRACT

A face covering having a front panel and a back panel, each of a first fabric, wherein at least one of the panels is joined to second fabric sandwiched between the panel portions of the first fabric. At least one gathering is within a portion of the back panel. The gathering extends along a height of the back panel. The gathering is offset from the center of a length of the back panel.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application incorporates by reference for all purposes the full disclosure of co-pending U.S. Design Application No. ______ filed concurrently herewith, entitled “FACE COVERING” (Attorney Docket No. 0105092-001US0).

BACKGROUND

Face coverings are a popular accessory for covering a person's mouth and nose. However, traditional face masks are typically manufactured from bulky, uncomfortable, non-stylish, yet utilitarian materials. Generally speaking, face coverings when implemented as a clothing accessory utilize common fabrics of low material strength and a textured surface a wearer may perceive as less than ideal comfort when in contact with the wearer's skin. Alternative material choices can lack sufficient rigidity to function as a face covering where breathing in can create a pressure differential causing the face covering to collapse against the user's mouth, thereby significantly reducing the surface area through which air can pass, resulting in discomfort to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various techniques will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a face covering structure in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a face covering worn by a person in accordance with an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques and systems described below relate to face covering devices. In some examples, a face mask device covers a human wearer's mouth and nose. Various details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, describing specific structures to cover features of a wearer's face while fitting snugly and comfortably against portions of the wearer's face in order.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure, such face covering structures contemplated in this disclosure may be adapted for use as a mask in accommodating various face covering devices. It should also be understood that there is no intention to limit the face covering structures to a specific form or forms disclosed for use to cover features of a wearer's face disclosed herein; but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined in the appended claims. Various examples described below relate to a face covering structures for use with a face covering. In an example, structures are configured to form a face mask.

Face covering structures contemplated by this disclosure may be fashioned with fabric materials. One skilled in the art may appreciate that such fabric materials may be selected for being perceived as smooth and/or soft by such a skilled person. For example, silk, nylon, polyester, and similar materials, or blends of materials, suitable for clothing items made from natural, synthetic, or recycled materials may serve as suitable fabric for a panel that contacts a wearer's face. In some examples, fabric used for a front panel that faces away from the wearer is of the same fabric material as a fabric type used for the back panel that contacts a wearer's face.

One or more additional fabrics and/or fabric types may be situated as one or more interior layers between exterior fabrics. For example, a second fabric may be sandwiched or inserted between the exterior first fabric. An additional fabric may be joined to the front panel, the rear panel, or both front and rear panels. In some examples, the additional fabric may be composed of a more rigid material than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. For example, a second fabric made from cotton may be used in conjunction with a silk fabric used for the front and/or back panel exterior fabric. A periphery of the additional fabric may match the size and/or contours of a periphery of the first fabric.

One or more pleats may be formed by folds of a panel. For example, one or more front pleats may be formed by corresponding folds along a length of the front panel. One or more back pleats may be formed by corresponding folds along a length of the back panel. In some examples, front pleats may be orientated in an opposing direction relative to back pleats.

Straps may be attached to or extend from side edges of the face covering. In some examples, the straps may be configured to loop around a wearer's ears. Straps may be composed of a compressible and/or elastic material. A pair of straps may be oriented on opposite sides of the face covering. Further, ear loops configured with an adjustment device may serve to modify tension of the face mask straps to accommodate a variety of face sizes and shapes. For example, the adjustment device may be a bead with an aperture of an interior diameter similar to the thickness of the strap when the strap is made of a compressible material, such that the bead fits tightly yet slideably adjustable along a length of the strap.

In some examples, a posable structure may fit within an edge of the face covering to provide rigidity around the edge of the face covering. For example, the posable structure may be used to adjust an edge of the face covering to match a contour of a wearer's facial features. The posable structure may form an edge of the face covering to accommodate wearers of various nose sizes and shapes. The posable structure may form an edge of the face veering to accommodate wearers of various cheek sizes and shapes. In some example, the posable structure is a wire or panel made from metal, resin, or similar posable material. The posable structure may be stowed with a pocket or seam of the face covering. Such pocket or seam may be within or near an edge of the face covering.

In some examples, the face covering is a face mask. Such a face mask may include front and rear panels. One or both panels may incorporate one or more pleats. The one or more pleats may be distributed along a height of the face mask and extending along a length of the face mask. Pleats may be formed by folds at left and right sides of the face mask. For example, stitched folds at the left side and right side of the face mask may effectively form horizontal pleats, wherein the length of the pleat is not entirely stitched along the corresponding portion of the length of the face mask resulting in a central portion along the length of the face mask without a stitched pleat. Such horizontally extending pleats, when the face covering device is laid flat, have respective overlaps that decrease as the pleats extend away from the side edge toward a vertical centerline of the face covering device. In a subset of examples, one or more pleats of the front panel may be orientated in an opposing direction to one or more pleats of the back panel. One or both panels may be comprised of an exterior material and an interior material. In particular examples, the exterior material may be silk and the interior material may cotton.

In the preceding and following description, various techniques and systems are described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of possible ways of implementing the techniques and devices. It will also be apparent that the techniques and devices described may be practiced in different configurations without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features of certain structures, such as material attachments, may be omitted or simplified to avoid obscuring the techniques and devices being described. Examples should be taken as being illustrative in nature and not limiting to the scope of the disclosure.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure, certain embodiments may be capable of achieving certain advantages, including some or all of the following: improving rigidity of non-rigid materials; reducing contact of portions of a face covering with portions of a wearer's face, such as their mouth or nostrils; and improving wearer comfort of face coverings.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a face covering 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a face covering 100 in accordance with an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a left side view of a face covering 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a right side view of a face covering 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view of a face covering 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a face covering 100 in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a face covering 100 worn by a person in accordance with at least one embodiment.

The face covering 100 may comprise a front panel 102. A front panel 102 may be comprised of one or more fabrics. Fabric materials may be selected for being perceived as smooth and/or soft by such a skilled person. For example, fabric materials may include silk, nylon, polyester, or similar materials, or blends of such materials. Fabric materials may be selected based on suitability for clothing items, such as fabrics made from natural, synthetic, or recycled materials. In at least one embodiment, a first fabric forming an exterior of the front panel 102 is comprised of a silk, such as mulberry silk.

One or more additional fabrics and/or fabric types may be situated as one or more interior layers underneath exterior fabrics. For example, a second fabric may be situated between an exterior, first fabric. An additional fabric may be joined to the front panel, such as by adhesive, fabric welding, and/or sewn seam. In some examples, the additional fabric may be composed of a material with different rigidity than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. The additional fabric may be different thickness than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. In some examples, the additional fabric may be situated between the front and rear panels without being joined to one or both panels. For example, the additional fabric may be batting, padding, or similar material to add cushioning to the face covering. The front and rear panels may not be joined wholly about their periphery, allowing for the addition or removal of an additional fabric via an opening caused by a portion of the front panel not joined to the rear panels. For example, a filter may be an additional fabric that can be inserted between the front and rear panels by an opening along an edge of the front and rear panel shared periphery. In at least one embodiment, a second fabric made from cotton may be situated under a silk fabric.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a first fabric, and in applicable embodiments with one or more additional fabrics, may be formed into a shape for the front panel 102. For example, a raw side of a fabric blank may be folded back on itself and secured to itself to create a finished edge. In an example, a fabric blank may be larger than a shape for the front panel 102 and individual sides may be folded along edges of the substantially rectangular design. In some examples, a first fabric and a second fabric are joined together, the first fabric covering the second fabric, wherein the second fabric is of sufficient dimension to extend beyond the periphery of the shape. In an example, the first and second fabrics are folded onto themselves along a design template of a substantially rectangular shape. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may utilize alternative shapes. For example, a face covering shape may contour along a person's nose, cheek bones, and/or chin. While a panel may be substantially rectangular, a panel may incorporate ovoid, triangular, or crescent-like features, which may facilitate contouring to a person's face.

A front panel 102 may have a height of between approximately 8 cm and approximately 20 cm. The front panel 102 may have a length of between approximately 15 cm and approximately 22 cm. The front panel 102 may have a thickness of between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.8 mm. In some embodiments, a first material of a front panel 102 may have a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm. In embodiments that include an additional materials, an additional material may have a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. Height and/or length may be uniform or non-uniform throughout the face covering 100 and, if non uniform, then these measurements represent average values.

The front panel 102 may comprise one or more front pleats 104. A front pleat 104 may be formed from a portion of the height of the front panel 102 wherein the front pleat 104 extends along a length of the face covering 100. A pleat 104 may extend a portion of the length of the front panel 102. A front pleat 104 may be formed with a gathering of approximately 1 cm and 4 cm of the height of the front panel 102. A front pleat 104 may be gathered after raw edges of a blank comprising the first and additional fabric are folded and secured along the periphery of the front panel 102 to form finished edges of the blank. In some examples, the front pleat 104 is secured at a left side and a right side of the front panel 102. In an embodiment, one or more front pleats 104 are orientated toward an edge of the front panel 102. For example, a folded edge of one or more front pleats 104 may be orientated towards a bottom edge of the front panel 102. In some examples, front pleats 104 of front panel 102 are orientated towards a bottom edge of the face covering 100. In some examples, rear pleats 114 of rear panel 112 are orientated towards a top edge of the face covering 100.

In some embodiments, one or more front pleats 104 and one or more rear pleats 114 allow a shape of the face covering 100 to expand. For example, when a person wears the face covering 100, the one or more front pleats 104 and the one or more rear pleats 114 may expand outward relative to the person's face. The pleats effectively increase the height or vertical dimension of their panel so that the face covering covers face features of the wearer, such as the wearer's mouth and nose. In some examples, the one or more front pleats 104 may be orientated in an opposing direction to the one or more rear pleats 114 to facilitate expansion of the face covering 100, such as to accommodate a wearer's face. Either the one or more front pleats 104 within the front panel 102, the one or more rear pleats 114 within the rear 112, or both front pleats 104 and rear pleats 114 may be varied to accommodate different facial shapes and features, such as the nose, cheek bones, and/or chin of a wearer.

The front covering 100 may comprise one or more openings 106. An opening 106 may be situated within an edge of the front panel 102, or another panel described below. An aperture may be formed by a region of the edge of a periphery of the front panel 102 not joined to an additional panel, such as a back panel 112 described below.

The face covering 100 may comprise one or more straps 108. A strap 108 may be formed from a material, such as described above, or an elastic material. In some examples, a strap 108 is formed from a casing, or tube. The strap 108 may be formed of compressible and or elastic material. One strap 108 of a pair of straps may be joined to one side of the front panel 102 or an additional panel described below. The strap 108 may be joined to the corners of one or more panels described herein. For example, a left strap may be joined to a top corner of a left side of the panel and a bottom corner of the left side of the panel and a right strap may be similarly joined to a right side of the panel. A fabric for strap 108 may be between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm thick. A fabric strap 108 may be between 15 cm and 20 cm long. A fabric strap may be a continuous loop extending from a top edge of a panel to a bottom edge of the panel. The face covering 100 may comprise adjustment devices 110. The adjustment devices 110 may each be a bead, one per strap of a pair of straps, with an aperture on opposing side of the bead. In an example, at least one aperture of the adjustment device 110 may be between 1 mm and 3 mm, thereby creating a sufficient opening by which two portions of the strap 108 may be inserted, such as when the portions of the strap 108 are compressed. An adjustment device 110 may be configured to slide along a length of a strap 108, thereby adjusting a size of a loop of the strap 108 bounded by the position of the adjustment device 110 along the length of the strap 108. An adjustment device 110 may be made from flexible materials, such as silicone or rubber. In some examples an adjustment device 100 may be made from rigid materials, such as plastic, ceramic, metal, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the face covering 100 may include straps 108 without adjustment devices 110.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a face covering structure in accordance with at least one embodiment. In an example, a rear panel 112 is comprised of a first material, such as discussed above. The rear panel 112 may be made from the same fabric material as the front panel 102 or different fabric material. In some embodiments, the rear panel 112 is made from the same cut of fabric as the front panel 102, wherein the fabric is folded onto itself thereby forming the front panel 102 and the rear panel 112. In some examples, one or more fabric layers used within the rear panel 112 include some of the same materials as a fabric types used for one or more layers of the front panel 102. The rear panel 112 may be shaped and/or formed similarly to the front panel 102 described above. It will be appreciate by one skilled in the art that the face covering 100 may include either a front panel 102, rear panel 112, or both a front panel 102 and a rear panel 112. In some embodiments, a face covering 112 comprises a rear panel 112 without a front panel 102.

In some examples, a rear panel 112 may be similar to the front panel 102. A rear panel 112 may comprise additional fabrics, such as described above regarding the front panel 102. One or more fabrics of the rear panel 112 may be of similar dimensions discussed above regarding the front panel 102 so that the front panel 102 and rear panel 112 are peripherally joined. In an embodiment, the rear panel 112 is a continuation of the front panel 102 such that the front panel 102 and rear panel 112 are formed from a single piece of fabric that is folded in half at one edge of the face covering 100 and joined to itself along its periphery. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a first fabric, and in applicable embodiments with one or more additional fabrics, may be formed into a substantially rectangular shape for the front panel 102. A raw side of a fabric blank corresponding to the rear panel 112 may be folded back on itself and secured to itself to create a finished edge. In an example, a fabric blank for the rear panel 112 may be larger than a rectangular design for the rear panel 112 and individual sides may be folded along edges of the rectangular design. In some examples, a first fabric and a second fabric are joined together, such as when the first fabric and the second fabric are joined for the front panel 102 discussed above.

A rear panel 112 may be joined to a front panel 102. The rear panel 112 may be joined to the front panel 102 near or along a periphery of the rear panel 112. The rear panel 112 may be joined to the front panel 102 by an adhesive, fabric melting/welding, and/or stitching. Stitching may utilizing a variety of hemming stitch techniques, including blind stitch, catch stitch, fell stitch, slip stitch, hidden stitch, or similar stitches. For example, a blind stitch is a method of joining two pieces of fabric so that the stitch thread is invisible, or nearly invisible, such that when an exterior of a panel in which the blind stitch is location, the stitch is hidden or concealed from view. Blind stitching hides stitching under folded edges; therefore, this type of stitch can be used to create a blind hem or to join two folded edges together. In some examples, joining means for securing the rear panel 112 to the front panel 102 is orientated within a periphery fold of each panel. In some embodiments, a rear panel 112 comprising a first fabric and at least one additional fabric is joined to a front panel 102 comprising the first fabric.

The rear panel 112 and front panel may be stitched to form one or more openings 106. An opening 106 may be situated within an edge of the rear panel 112 where the rear panel 112 meets the top panel 102, or another panel described below. An opening 106 may be formed by a region of the edge of a periphery of the rear panel 112 not joined to an additional panel, such as a front panel 102 described above. For example, an opening 106 may be formed by a break in stitching that connects the front panel 102 and the rear panel 112. In an embodiment, the opening provides access to an internal pocket formed between the front panel 102 and the rear panel 112.

The opening 106 may be of sufficient length to accommodate a wearer inserting a length of material along the top edge of the face covering 100, such as a structure for reinforcing rigidity of the top edge of the face covering 100. Such reinforcing structure may be a strip or rod. The reinforcing structure may be made from a malleable or semi-rigid material, such as thin metal or plastic. In an embodiment, the reinforcing structure may have width between approximately 2 mm and 7 mm, length between approximately 80 mm and 100 mm, and thickness between approximately 0.3 mm and 1 mm. As a strip of material, the reinforcing structure may have rounded corners and/or beveled edges, such as to mitigate the potential for the reinforcing structure to snag fabric of the internal pocket.

In an embodiment, an internal pocket for the reinforcing structure is formed by joining a region along a portion of the top edge of front panel 102 to the rear panel 112. For example, the internal pocket may be formed by a fold of the top edge of either the front panel 102 or the rear panel 112, thereby forming a pleat along the top edge when attached to the other panel. In another example, one or more additional fabrics may form the pocket along the top edge of the face covering 100 when the one or more additional fabrics are joined to the front panel 102 or rear panel 112. As described herein, joining of fabrics may be accomplished by stitching, fabric welding, and/or adhesive. In one example, the internal pocket is a rectangular region within a fold of the rear panel 112, the fold along a top edge of the rear panel 112 and orientated towards an interior of the face covering 100. The rectangular region may have a length of between approximately 100 mm and 150 mm and a height of between approximately 5 mm and 11 mm. An opening 106 along the top of the rectangular region may have a length of between approximately 5 mm and 15 mm, wherein the length of the open 106 is between approximately 20 mm and 60 mm from the closest end of the rectangular region.

The rear panel 112 may comprise one or more rear pleats 114. A rear pleat 114 may incorporate similar features relative to the rear panel 112 as those features of the front pleat 104 relative to the front panel 102 as described above. A rear pleat 114 may be formed of a gathering of the rear panel 112 while otherwise being similar in dimensions to the front pleat 104. A rear pleat 114 may be gathered after raw edges of a blank comprising a first and additional fabric are folded and secured along the periphery of the rear panel 112 to form finished edges of the blank. One or more rear pleats 114 may be substantially parallel to a top or bottom edge of the rear panel 112. One or more rear pleats 114 may be orientated toward an edge of the rear panel 112. For example, rear pleats may be orientated toward a top of the rear panel 114, the top edge of the rear panel 112 being in contact with a top edge of the front panel 104. Each of the one or more rear pleats 114 may be secured to the rear panel 114 at a left side and a right side of the rear panel 114. In some examples, where the rear pleats 114 are secured at the sides of the rear panel 114 but not along a central portion of the length of the pleat 114, when worn by a person the central portion of the rear panel 114 effectively becomes a non-pleated region as the mask expands to accommodate facial features of the person. Some embodiments may incorporate vertical stitching 116 that secures a first pleat to the panel while extending through an unpleated region of where a non-secured second pleat would extend from left and right sides of a second pleat within the panel.

The rear panel 112 may comprise one or more vertical stitching 116 along a height of the rear panel 112. In some examples, the vertical stitching 116 may be wholly within a height of the rear panel 112 such that neither a top end of the vertical stitching 116 extends to a top edge of the rear panel 112 nor the bottom end of the vertical stitching 116 extends to a bottom edge of the rear panel 112. As the rear panel 112 may be joined to the front panel 102 about their shared periphery, the vertical stitching 116 may be disconnected from the front panel 102.

The vertical stitching 116 may be formed by a running stitch penetrating through one or more layers of fabric comprising the rear panel 112. In some embodiments, one or more vertical stitching 116 may be formed by a dart within a height of the rear panel 112, the dart having gathered a portion of fabric of the rear panel 112 and joined the fabric to itself. The dart may be tapered at either a top end, a bottom end, or both a top end and a bottom end. The dart may be one or more folds or tucks that end in a point. A dart may be sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to a garment. The dart may be formed by a blind stitch, ladder stitch, or similar stitch.

A gathering of fabric, such as a gathering of a first fabric and/or additional fabrics, of the rear panel 112 corresponding to a vertical stitching 116 may be orientated such that the raised portion of the gathering faces an interior portion of the face covering 100. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a vertical stitching 116 may be a vertically biased stitch, such as a stitch angled at approximately forty-five degrees or more relative to the bottom edge or top edge of the face covering 100. In some examples including more than one vertical stitching 116, the plurality of stitches may or may not be parallel to one another. A vertical stitching 116 may be substantially linear, curved, or contain one or more angles. In some examples, an enhancement to the vertical stitching 116 may be contained within the gathering of fabric, such as an embedded structure contained by the vertical stitching 116 that provides additional rigidity. Such an enhancement may be a strip, rod, or wire structure made from metal or plastic.

A vertical stitching 116 may be situated wholly within one or more pleats 114 or extend between two or more pleats 114. In some embodiments, the vertical stitching 116 may begin at a folded edge of an upper pleat and extend to terminate at a folded edge of a lower pleat. Vertical stitching 116 may be applied to a panel before or after horizontal pleats along the length of the face covering 100 are formed. For example, when vertical stitching 116 is applied to a panel before one or more pleats 114 are formed, and in examples wherein pleats are secured at left and right sides of the panel, the vertical stitching 116 does not interfere with the panel expanding outward from a wearer's face when worn thereby allowing the panel to expand into a dome shape. In an embodiment when the face covering 100 is laid flat, pleats 114 extending horizontally have respective overlaps at their left and right sides that decrease as the pleats 114 extend away from a side edge of the face cover 100 toward a vertical centerline of the face covering 100. In other examples when vertical stitching 116 is applied to a panel after one or more pleats 114 are formed, the vertical stitching secures the pleats to the panel and may inhibit the panel from fully expanding when the face covering 100 is worn by a person.

In an embodiment of two vertical stitching 116, a left vertical stitch and a right vertical seam mirror each other and are offset from center of a length of the rear panel 112. For example, a left vertical stitching is offset by between approximately 5 mm and 15 mm to the left of center of the length of the rear panel 112. In such an example, a right gathering of the twin left and right gatherings is a right vertical stitching mirroring the left vertical stitching relative to a central vertical axis of the rear panel 112. Offsetting and mirroring two vertical stitching 116 from center reduces contact of a left vertical seam and a right vertical seam with a wearer's nose. The left and right gatherings may be twin darts, such as darts that mirror each other about a vertical centerline of the rear panel 112.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that additional embodiments may incorporate different orientations and/or number of stitchings within a panel. For example, a face covering using a single vertical stitching 116 may orientate the vertical stitching 116 about a centerline of the rear panel 112, wherein the single vertical stitching 116 is of similar dimension, shape, and configuration as one of the twin vertical stitching 116 described above. A face covering using a plurality of vertical stitches may distribute the vertical stitches approximately equally about the central vertical axis of the rear panel 112, wherein an odd number of vertical stitches may include a vertical stitch orientated along the central vertical axis of the rear panel 112. Configurations of two, four, six, etc. vertical stitchings 116 may group half of the stitchings to the left half of a centerline and the other half of the stitching to the right half of the centerline. An even number of stitchings may be offset from the centerline by sufficient distance so as to provide rigidity to the panel and mitigate movement of the panel towards a wearer's nostrils and/or mouth when the wearer inhales.

A vertical stitching 116 may terminate at two ends. For example, a vertical stitching 116 terminates at top end 118 and bottom end 120. In at least one embodiment, top end 118 of vertical stitching 116 is orientated at a location corresponding to an edge of a top pleat, the top pleat one of the one or more rear pleats 114. In at least one embodiment, bottom end 120 of vertical stitching 116 is orientated at a location corresponding to an edge of a bottom pleat, the bottom pleat one of the one or more rear pleats 114. In some examples, one or more additional pleats may be formed between the top pleat and the bottom pleat. In at least one embodiment, vertical stitching 116 are formed before rear pleats 114, such that the vertical stitching 116 extend continually through pleats 114 without securing folds of rear pleats 114. In an example, the vertical stitching 116 extends closer to one edge of the rear panel 112 than another edge of the rear panel 112.

In an embodiment, a top end 118 of a vertical stitching 116 is between approximately 16 cm to 19 cm from an edge of a panel, such as the rear panel 112. The top end 118 may be between approximately 1 cm and 4 cm from a top edge of the finished rear panel 112. In some examples, finishing the panel includes folds along the edge of the rear panel 112 and rear pleats 114. In an embodiment, a bottom end 120 of a vertical stitching 116 is between approximately 12 cm and 15 cm from an edge of the panel, such as the rear panel 112. The bottom end 120 may be between approximately 1 cm and 4 cm from a bottom edge of the finished rear panel 112. In an embodiment with two vertical stitching 116, the two vertical seams are substantially parallel to each other, with a first vertical seam being between approximately 5 mm and 20 mm left offset from a midpoint of the length of the rear panel 112 and a second vertical seam being between approximately 5 mm and 20 mm right offset from a midpoint of the length of the rear panel 112. In some embodiments, a vertical stitching 116 may occupy approximately 20% to 80% of the height of a panel, such as the rear panel 112.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a vertical stitching 116 may be located on either the rear panel 112, front panel 102, or both. Vertical stitching 116 may be distributed evenly about the midpoint of the length of the rear panel 112. When one or more vertical stitching 116 are located on the rear panel 112, the rear panel 112 facing a wearer, the one or more vertical stitching 116 may be concealed from an observer's view of the rear panel 112 by a front panel 102. In addition, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the one or more vertical stitching 116 add structural rigidity to the panel in which the one or more vertical stitching 116 are located. Such structural rigidity reduces movement of the panel in which the one or more vertical stitching 116 are located when a wearer inhales or exhales. For example, the vertical stitching 116 may function to reduce the degree to which the face covering 100 may collapse inward toward the wearer's mouth in response to a pressure differential caused by the wearer inhaling. Such function reduces discomfort to the user. One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more vertical stitching 116 may be located within the front panel 102.

In some embodiments, the configuration of one or more fabrics included in the front panel 102 and/or rear panel 112 are sufficient to meet various standards of filtration effectiveness. For example, a configuration of one or more fabrics included in the front panel 102, rear panel 112, and/or an interior region between the front panel 102 and rear panel 112 filter at least 95% of particles 3.0 microns or larger and/or at least 30% of particles 0.1 microns or larger. Some embodiments of face covering 100 may meet United States Standards ASTM F2100 (e.g., surgical mask level 1, 2, or 3) or NIOSH (42 CFR 84) (e.g., N95/KN95, N99/KN99, or N100/KN100), Europe Standards EN 14683 (e.g., surgical mask type 1, 2, or 3) or EN 149:2001 (e.g., FFP1, FFP2, or FFP3), or China Standards YY/T0969 and/or YY 0469.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Similarly, use of the term “or” is to be construed to mean “and/or” unless contradicted explicitly or by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected,” when unmodified and referring to physical connections, is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The use of the term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”) or “subset” unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed as a nonempty collection comprising one or more members. Further, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “subset” of a corresponding set does not necessarily denote a proper subset of the corresponding set, but the subset and the corresponding set may be equal. The use of the phrase “based on,” unless otherwise explicitly stated or clear from context, means “based at least in part on” and is not limited to “based solely on.”

Conjunctive language, such as phrases of the form “at least one of A, B, and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” (i.e., the same phrase with or without the Oxford comma) unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, is otherwise understood within the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either A or B or C, any nonempty subset of the set of A and B and C, or any set not contradicted by context or otherwise excluded that contains at least one A, at least one B, or at least one C. For instance, in the illustrative example of a set having three members, the conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, and, if not contradicted explicitly or by context, any set having {A}, {B}, and/or {C} as a subset (e.g., sets with multiple “A”). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C each to be present. Similarly, phrases such as “at least one of A, B, or C” and “at least one of A, B or C” refer to the same as “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, unless differing meaning is explicitly stated or clear from context. In addition, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “plurality” indicates a state of being plural (e.g., “a plurality of items” indicates multiple items). The number of items in a plurality is at least two but can be more when so indicated either explicitly or by context.

The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for embodiments of the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 

1. A face covering device, comprising: a front panel forming a front plurality of horizontal pleats that enable the face covering device to increase in a vertical dimension to cover a mouth and nose of a person; a rear panel having a left side and a right side defined by a vertical centerline, the rear panel joined to a periphery of the front panel and being formed such that: the left side forms a left plurality of horizontal pleats and the right side forms a right plurality of horizontal pleats, the left and right side plurality of horizontal pleats being distinct from the front plurality of horizontal pleats and orientated in a direction opposite the front plurality of horizontal pleats; first vertical stitching on a right half of the left side extends parallel to a vertical centerline at least half of a height of the rear panel measured at the centerline, the rear panel being unpleated at the first vertical stitching, wherein the first vertical stitching is disconnected from the front panel; second vertical stitching on a left half of the right side extends parallel to the vertical centerline at least half the height of the rear panel measured at the centerline, the rear panel being unpleated at the second vertical stitching, the second vertical stitching is disconnected from the front panel; and a pair of straps oriented on opposite sides of the face covering device.
 2. The face covering device of claim 1, wherein the first vertical stitching or second vertical stitching is formed by a portion of fabric of the rear panel being gathered and joined to itself, the portion within the height of the rear panel.
 3. The face covering of claim 2, wherein the portion of fabric is a dart with two ends, the dart tapering at a top end and a bottom end.
 4. The face covering of claim 2, wherein a top end of the portion is within a rear pleat along a length of the rear panel.
 5. The face covering of claim 2, wherein a bottom end of the portion is within a rear pleat along a length of the rear panel.
 6. The face covering of claim 1, wherein one of the pair of straps is joined to the rear panel at a top corner of a side of the rear panel and at a bottom corner of the side of the front panel.
 7. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises at least one front pleat folded along a length of the front panel, the at least one front pleat being orientated in an opposing direction to the left plurality of horizontal pleats and the right plurality of horizontal pleats of the rear panel.
 8. A face covering device, comprising: a front panel; and a back panel to be oriented toward the face of a person, the back panel connected to the front panel, the back panel comprising: a plurality of horizontal pleats originating at left and right vertical edges of the back panel, wherein the plurality of horizontal pleats, when the face covering device is laid flat, have respective overlaps that decrease as the pleats extend away from the side edge toward a vertical centerline of the face covering device; a first vertical stitching on a right half of the back panel extending through an unpleated portion of the back panel and securing a tuck of the back panel to itself, disconnected from the front panel; a second vertical stitching on a left half of the panel extending through an unpleated portion of the back panel and securing a tuck of the back panel to itself, disconnected from the front panel; the first vertical stitching or the second vertical stitching forming a dart at the secured tuck, wherein a portion of fabric of the panel is gathered and joined to itself, the portion within the height of the rear panel, the dart tapering at a top end and a bottom end.
 9. The face covering device of claim 8, wherein twin darts are formed by a hidden stitch extending vertically within a portion of a height of the panel.
 10. The face covering device of claim 9, wherein an individual dart of the twin darts is formed by a portion of the panel being gathered and joined to itself, the individual dart tapered at either a top end or a bottom end.
 11. The face covering device of claim 8, wherein the face covering device further comprises a strap, the strap joined at a top corner of a side of the panel and joined at a bottom corner of the side of the panel.
 12. The face covering of claim 8, wherein at least one of the horizontally extending pleats is orientated toward a bottom edge of the face covering device.
 13. The face covering of claim 8, wherein the face covering device further comprises a strap joined to one side of the panel, a length of the strap adjustable by a slideable bead.
 14. A face covering, comprising: a front panel; and a back panel connected to the front panel and constructed to be oriented to the face of a person wearing the face covering, the back panel comprising a plurality of horizontal pleats originating at left and right vertical edges of the back panel and a set of vertical stitches disconnected from the front panel and positioned to be over a mouth of the person when the person wears the face covering, wherein the back panel is unpleated at a central location of the back panel encompassing the vertical stitches securing a tuck of the back panel to itself.
 15. The face covering of claim 14, wherein the set of stitches is formed by a portion of the back panel being gathered and joined to itself, the portion within a height of the back panel.
 16. The face covering of claim 15, wherein the set of stitches extends closer to a top edge of the back panel than to a bottom edge of the back panel.
 17. The face covering of claim 14, wherein a periphery of the front panel matches contours of the back panel.
 18. The face covering of claim 14, wherein the face covering further comprises a strap, the strap joined at a top corner of a side of the front panel and joined at a bottom corner of the side of the front panel.
 19. The face covering of claim 14, wherein the front panel comprises at least one front pleat along a length of the front panel.
 20. The face covering of claim 19, wherein the back panel comprises at least one back pleat along the length of the back panel, the at least one back pleat being orientated in an opposing direction to the at least one front pleat. 